Twenty-three police/Special Task Force teams have been formed to rescue the hostages.

Replying to the special calling-attention motion on the issue in the Assembly, he said though four letters and an audio cassette were received by the Government, there was still a doubt as to whether it was a case of abduction by Veerappan or the handiwork of some other sandalwood smugglers. He said the Government had also sanctioned Rs 10,000 each to the families of the three forest personnel for their daily expenses.

Moreover, the forest areas extending from Tamil Nadu to Karnataka, where the sandalwood smuggler was holed up, had been witnessing heavy rains disrupting searchoperations by the STF personnel of the Tamil Nadu and Karnataka police. Despite this, efforts are on to trace Veerappan and rescue the hostages.

Karunanidhi said of the four letters received by the Government, three were written by Abimanyu, one of those abducted. The letters were addressed to the district forest officer, Dharmapuri, district collector, Dharmapuri, and the Chief Minister.

A line in the letter asking that the STF should not go there had created suspicion that the hostages could be at one place and Veerappan at another. The fourth letter, allegedly written by Sethukuli Govindan, one of Veerappan's lieutenants, states he would announce the demands (for the release of hostages) after reaching Bargur hills and they should be carried out.

Govindan had also alleged that an Irula tribal had cheated him of thousands of rupees by promising to help in the kidnap of the district forest officer and the local forest ranger.

In the audio cassette, the hostages had requested the Government to makeefforts for their early release.

Recalling the efforts taken by the Tamil Nadu and Karnataka Governments through Nakkeeran editor R R Gopal in getting Veerappan to surrender, the Chief Minister said though some conditions were laid and the sandalwood smuggler had accepted 90 per cent of them, the efforts were spoiled due to political interference which created doubts in the poacher's mind.

However, he did not want to go into the reasons for the political interference, Karunanidhi said, adding that the Government would continue to make efforts for Veerappan's surrender.